Croford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Croford comes from a name for a person with abnormally shaped feet, or a gait resembling that of a crow. 1

Although the Anglo-Saxon surname Croford may sound like a Native American name, it is derived from the Old English words crawe or crawa, which mean crow, and fot, which means foot. However, the Old English phrase crou-fot was also a name for the buttercup. Moreover, the surname Croford may in some cases be derived from the name of the settlement of Crawford, which was in the Scottish county of Lanark. 2

Early Origins of the Croford family

The surname Croford was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat. From their early beginnings, for the next few centuries, the family name also acquired other estates or manors as branches established themselves throughout England. The major conflicts of the eras, such as the War of the Roses, the English Reformation, and the English Civil War sometimes found them to be in opposing camps, with conflicting interests. Although this name may sound like an Indian name to North Americans it has its roots in Suffolk.

Early History of the Croford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Croford research. Another 29 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1736, 1817 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Croford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Croford Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Croford include Crowfoot, Crowfote, Crowfoote, Crowefoot, Crofford, Croford, Croffet, Crofut, Croffut, Crofoot, Croffit, Croffitt and many more.

Early Notables of the Croford family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Croford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Croford migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Croford or a variant listed above:

Croford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Croford, who settled in Portland or Falmouth, ME in 1820

Croford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Croford Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Georgina Croford, who arrived in Ontario in 1871
John Croford, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)